TAG meetings to discuss IATI scope and code of conduct

The TAG recently held meetings in Brussels to discuss workstreams 1 (scope of the standard) and 3 (code of conduct). The minutes of these meetings are available here: workstream 1, workstream 3.

The meeting identified the need for more research in workstream 1 into information about procurement and traceability of aid spending, as well as to recast the prospective information items into flow charts of the project cycle for different aid modalities to help visualise when and by whom the information is collected, with what frequency and in what level of detail and where it is currently published, if at all. We are still looking for someone  to lead this workstream, but have brought ODI on board to help with some of this research.

Alex Gerbrandij (EC) and Henri Valot (CIVICUS) will  be leading workstream 3. In Brussels workstream 3 examined examples of existing codes and considered the scope, audience, ownership, content, implementation, monitoring and maintenance of the code of conduct. It discussed issues of historical information, data validation, thresholds, exemptions, licensing, access to information and use of ‘crowd sourcing’ to comment on data.

Both workstreams aim to have proposals for discussion at a wider TAG meeting in the first or second week of September. They also both noted the importance of establishing close linkages with the DAC Working Party on Aid Effectiveness, notably with Cluster C on Transparent and Responsible Aid (which includes a network on transparency) and Cluster E on Managing for Development Results.

The leaders of  the TAG workstream will  be engaging the wider community to get feedback and collaborate on these proposals during the summer - watch this space for details.